


Hot Cocoa

by butterflyslinky



Category: That Guy with the Glasses/Channel Awesome
Genre: Christmas, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-09
Updated: 2014-05-09
Packaged: 2018-01-24 03:03:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1589315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butterflyslinky/pseuds/butterflyslinky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first snow has fallen, the radiator is broken, and Paw wants someone to share hot cocoa with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hot Cocoa

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2013 Secret Santa exchange on TGWTG fic for astra_aurora.

Paw sighed happily as the timer went off and he stopped stirring the hot cocoa in the saucepan. This was what winter was about. Cocoa, not the nasty little packets his coworkers favored, made with water in the microwave, but real cocoa, boiled with milk on the stove, stirred in figure eights for the precise amount of time it needed before being ladled into the nice mugs that Paw had taken from home for just such an occasion.

He glanced out the window and smiled at the freshly-fallen blanket of white. The first snowfall was always special, a signal that it was time to break out the special mugs and blocks of chocolate and baking materials—though that would have to wait. Paw wanted the rest of the reviewers to be around when he baked Christmas cookies in spite of the fact that every time they made cookies together, everyone wound up covered in flour and very few of the cookies looked like anything meant for Christmas—Paw vividly remembered how last year Critic and Chick had gotten into a competition over who could make the most disturbing cookie. But it was a special experience, one that was meant to be shared.

Of course, so was drinking hot cocoa. Paw frowned a bit, trying to think of who was around to share with. Most of the others had gone outside for what Critic had termed “the most awesomely epic snowball fight EVER,” and the ones who hadn’t were all busy with reviews or shopping or other things. Paw knew that the ones outside would appreciate his efforts when they came back in and reheated the leftover cocoa, but he wanted someone to share with now.

He sighed, serving up two cups and heading into the library. Surely someone was in there; it was a very rare occasion that it was empty.

The first thing that struck him was that the library was freezing. Paw shivered as he stepped between the shelves, wondering why the radiator wasn’t warming the room. He headed toward the back to check it.

Luke was already there, fiddling with the settings and muttering to himself. He didn’t even look up as Paw approached. Paw coughed politely, causing Luke to jump.

“Oh…hey, Paw,” Luke said, looking up from the radiator.

“Hi, Luke,” Paw said. “Radiator broken?”

Luke nodded. “We’re gonna have to call a repairman,” he sighed. “And I was planning to spend the day curled up with a good book.”

“Still trying to finish Harry Potter?” Paw asked.

Luke laughed. “Yeah, well, I’m a slow reader,” he admitted. He glanced at the mugs in Paw’s hands. “You meeting someone for a romantic cup of cocoa?”

“Not really,” Paw said. “I just made some and it’s kind of sad to drink it alone.” He held one of the mugs out to Luke. “You want to drink it with me?”

Luke raised his eyebrows, but he accepted the mug. “So are we going to drink it in here?” he asked. “Where it’s almost as cold as it is outside?”

Paw grinned. “Well,” he answered. “What better place to drink hot cocoa in a cold room? Here…” He hurried over to the fireplace that no one ever used because it was so much trouble to light, setting his mug on one of the tables before finding the matches and newspaper they kept nearby for some reason. Luke grinned back as Paw lit a small fire before settling on a small couch.

Luke sat down next to him, sipping at his hot cocoa. “Have to admit,” he said. “This is a bit better than fixing the radiator.”

Paw nodded and grabbed a blanket to drape over their knees. “We’ll still have to do it eventually.”

Luke shrugged. “Not high on my list of priorities.” He settled down and opened his book, reading it and sipping at his drink. Paw picked up another nearby book and opened it, not even caring what it was.

They sat in a companionable silence, drinking hot cocoa by the fire, reading their books, listening to the shouts and crashes from outside, occasionally looking up to see snowballs fly past the window. Paw smiled. This was really the only way to spend a winter’s day.


End file.
